2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 - Optimized

The trap many fall into is going willy-nilly making the mods they can make, rather than the ones they should make. Instead of thoughtfully devising a plan of action, taking into consideration their ultimate goals, those who randomly bolt on parts because they're the latest rage or simply look cool often wind up with a car that performs the same as or-shudder-worse than it did before they screwed with it.

Steve Kepler is not among those who have fallen into the wholesale-modification trap. Much has been written of the C6 Z06's track prowess, and according to Kepler, it's all true. "There really isn't much this car needs to run hard at the track all day," the Waukesha, Wisconsin, resident explains. Having taken delivery of a factory-fresh black C6Z in March 2006, Kepler was no doubt tempted to whip out the credit card and start throwing parts at it. Instead, the sales rep for Johnson Controls (the parent company of Optima Batteries) patiently got to know his car, putting it through its paces at nearby Road America, evaluating its strengths and making note of its weaknesses. Soon, a plan came into focus.

While the intake and exhaust changes made a positive impact on Kepler's ownership experience, it soon came time for him to turn his attention to more pressing matters-namely the braking system. While the motoring press (and, indeed, most owners) claim the big, upgraded brakes of the Z06 are more than up to the task of slowing the car, those who exercise theirs on-track know better. "The OE brakes change shape when run at high speed and the heavy braking that accompanies it, such as at Road America," Kepler says. Hard-core Z06 track rats know that this deformation leads to tapered pads and all sorts of attendant braking woes. The only real solution is an upgrade.

With both the go and whoa addressed, Kepler next focused his attention to maximizing cornering traction. For this, he turned to Pfadt Race Engineering. Pfadt recommended a set of its adjustable coilover shocks, which feature 16 different damping settings that are easily adjustable. The shocks' threaded bodies allow the user to make ride-height adjustments independent of spring preload. To give the car a crisp feel with decreased body roll, a pair of Pfadt sway bars feature torsional stiffness nearly three times that of the stock C6Z bars. In order for the car's balance to be tuned, the Pfadt sway bars are rate-adjustable. Lastly, the sloppy rubber suspension bushings were replaced with Pfadt's polyurethane/aluminum units.

With the fresh confidence of the Pfadt suspension in place, Kepler elected to drive the 2009 Silver State one class faster than previously. "I ran in the 150-mph class in 2009 because it's a little more challenging with the max speed at 165 mph. There is also more competition in that class," he explains. Though he finished a slightly disappointing Fourth Place, he will be running the 150 class again in 2010.

Kepler says he doesn't get to drive his Z06 as much as he wishes, as it is often touring other parts of the country as part of Optima's various publicity campaigns. Still, he has managed to rack up 12,000 miles on the odometer, mostly at speeds that would probably be considered unreasonable by most law-enforcement types. In true competitor fashion, he's always thinking ahead, of ways to go even faster. To that end, his future plans may include installation of a Magnacharger. He admits the prospect of having more than 700 lb-ft of torque at his disposal should be an interesting exercise in self-control, both on the street and exiting his favorite increasing-radius corners at the track. Somehow, it seems a certainty that he will find a way of optimizing it.